Following their Game 1 victory, LeBron James said that the Cleveland Cavaliers didn’t play that “great”, so in Game 2, they must step their game up. Here’s how.
How can this even happen? It will be incredible if the Cleveland Cavaliers can turn on yet another level after their 13-point victory over the Boston Celtics in Game 1 on the road.
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The stats agree with LeBron though. The Cavaliers did not play an incredible game outside of their mere 8 turnovers. They played a very good game, but they do have another level like James explained.
If anything is going to be improved from Game 1, it will be their bench and Kyrie Irving’s shot. Irving has struggled this postseason in many facets, and his shots and playmaking has just not been what most expected it to be.
Irving had just 11 points in Game 1 on 4-of-11 shooting and missed all of his three three-point attempts. Playing against a defensively weak point guard in Isaiah Thomas, Irving thrived in their season series averaging over 25 points per game. My philosophy for Irving improving his efficiency is the same every time — attack more. Irving is at his best when he’s using his renown handles to draw defends and attack the rim. So, hopefully Irving will be able to have his way Friday night in Boston.
The second way the Cavs should improve is their bench play. In a combined 62 minutes, the Cavs bench scored just 14 points. It was a pitiful 4-way split for leading scoring with Deron Williams, Frye, Shumpert, and Korver all scoring just three points. The efficiency is where it gets even worse. This bench group shot 4-for-21 an ugly 19%. While the King and Kevin Love saved the day, this group must be better.
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The Cavs are a terrific team full of lethal weapons and incredibly skilled players, but they can improve even on a victory. Hopefully Game 2, the only game in which experts still have hope Boston may win, will be different and even more dominating for Cleveland.